“A strong ghost energy reaction was detected north of Pei City. The agent wanted to investigate further, but was locked onto by anti-ghost energy instruments when approaching the forest and had to abandon the target. Later, he staked out outside the forest for three days and discovered that the mastermind supporting that family frequently entered and exited this area.”

“To avoid alerting the enemy, I had him cease the investigation and contacted our previously placed informants in Pei City. Following the ’12’ lead, we tracked down the whereabouts of several Twelve Branches ranked captains. Satellite observation also revealed a manor deep in the mountain forest.”

“According to reports from our informants in Pei City, local rumors say the boss of ’12’ resides in this manor and has repeatedly invited Pei City consortia for ‘vacations.’ Combined with the previous entry and exit records of the Twelve Branches captains, we have reason to suspect this is the gathering place for the Twelve Branches.”

After a pause, Deng Yuqi took out another report and handed it to Shen Ge, continuing, “Speaking of manors, we investigated the location of the ROK’s ‘Red Flower Core’ manor. But when our agents went to check, they found it already empty. They probably detected the ‘disappearance’ of the Yun-er sisters, worried the manor was exposed, and abandoned it during the ROK ghost disaster.”

“However, following the manor lead, we discovered this ‘Red Flower Core’ had connections with multiple ROK chaebols, and might even have been jointly established by these chaebols. Fortunately, you turned the tables on the Twelve Branches before leaving. Now the International Anti-Paranormal Organization, the US, and the ROK are all thoroughly investigating the Twelve Branches’ ‘infiltration’ issue. After all, no one wants to work hard only to play into someone else’s hands.”

Shen Ge asked, “Have they found anything?”

“Being controlled by a freak organization isn’t something to be proud of. Even if they found something, given the habits of the International Anti-Paranormal Organization and the US, they wouldn’t ‘share’ it. I’ve just heard that this ghost disaster has caused serious tensions between the ROK and the US, even worse than previous incidents involving US soldiers.”

“The ROK knows full well that the only ones who can counter the US now are us and Russia. But Russia is busy dealing with Ukraina, so the ROK intends to align with us. Since they’re seeking alignment, they naturally need to offer a suitable price. They revealed to us that they were secretly assisting the US with its anti-paranormal mech project.”

“During our previous industrial preliminary investigation, after identifying the factories helping the US with production, we started cooperation with them and have also conducted considerable research on anti-paranormal mechs in secret. Compared to the behemoths the US built that require a command team to control, headquarters decided to focus on single-pilot mechs first.”

“Didn’t I mention before that headquarters managed to replicate a similar anti-paranormal mech? They found it too cumbersome, so they created a single-pilot version based on the original design.”

“Here are the details. If you’re interested, I can apply for one for you later.”

Shen Ge waved his hand dismissively. While mechs were a man’s romance, wearing an anti-paranormal mech over his Red Mist Armor would actually hinder his combat effectiveness.

Deng Yuqi, expecting his refusal, wasn’t bothered and continued, “Actually, due to the inherent disadvantage of the human body against paranormal entities, various countries are researching anti-paranormal mechs. Our relationship with Russia is decent, so their anti-paranormal mech data actually reached us before the ROK’s.”

“But as for the mech’s design and performance… well, it’s hard to describe.”

As Deng Yuqi spoke, she opened another file. Shen Ge glanced at it and immediately understood what she meant by “hard to describe.”

The primary reason countries research anti-paranormal mechs is the fragility of the human body. Pitting flesh and blood against paranormal entities that even ordinary firearms can’t penetrate is like an egg hitting a rock.

Therefore, the first priority in anti-paranormal mech research is to be “hard,” providing protection for the soldiers’ bodies.

The mech developed by Russia used steel as its base material. Furthermore, not wanting to rely on a command team for control like the US mechs, reducing the size and increasing agility meant compromising on defense. Moreover, the pilot sat at the mech’s center of gravity, with only a single steel plate in front of them.

In actual combat against paranormal entities, its mobility would likely be worse than without the mech, and that layer of steel plate might not add much defense for the anti-paranormal agents.

Strictly speaking, its practicality was probably even lower than the exoskeleton armor supplied to Ukraina by the consortium controlled by the Twelve Branches.

If that weren’t the case, they wouldn’t refrain from deploying these mechs on the battlefield against Ukraina’s exoskeleton corps.

Deng Yuqi said, “Considering the research on mechs by various countries, it’s fair to say the results are unsatisfactory. Currently, the most suitable anti-paranormal combat armor is still your Rotten Flesh Armor. That’s why headquarters has repeatedly pressured the branch, hoping to disclose the research secrets of the Rotten Flesh Armor for all departments to study.”

“What’s your take on that?” Shen Ge asked.

Deng Yuqi smiled, “Simple. As long as they can prove there’s absolutely no possibility of Twelve Branches infiltration at headquarters, we’ll agree to disclose the Rotten Flesh Armor research report. Plus, Li Xiang was also annoyed by them. He tossed them a ‘preliminary design’ of the Rotten Flesh Armor from before the integration of the AI and the Ghost Brain. That preliminary design alone should keep them busy for a while.”

Shen Ge was somewhat puzzled. Although the Rong City branch had an outlier like Li Xiang, attracting many geniuses in the research field, aside from the non-replicable research on the Red Mist Armor, the branch’s research results were actually far inferior to headquarters.

Even the initial “preliminary design” before integrating the AI and Ghost Brain – if they couldn’t produce anything from the initial report, then headquarters was pretty lame.

Deng Yuqi, as if reading his thoughts, smiled and said, “Don’t forget your Rotten Flesh Armor was built from the start using the most advanced AI, plus the unique Ghost Brain, and subsequent upgrades… The materials were either from Progenitor paranormal entities or rare ghost energy equipment. None of these can be replicated by headquarters. It’s like me giving you the standard answer sheet for a middle school entrance exam. No matter how thoroughly you study it, can you use it to test into a top university?”

“…” With this explanation, Shen Ge immediately understood vividly. In other words, the “preliminary design” was just the concept for the armor’s design. Without a mind like Li Xiang’s, it was difficult to extrapolate the subsequent research direction and content from this plan.

“Speaking of Li Xiang, I haven’t seen him for days. I wanted to discuss the latest armor upgrade plan with him, but couldn’t find him in the lab. Where did he go?” Shen Ge asked.

Deng Yuqi looked surprised, “You don’t know?”

“I’m not his sworn father, how would I know the whereabouts of such a super talent?” Shen Ge joked. He and Li Xiang were often referred to in the Rong City branch as the “Two Treasures of the Branch, one for brains, one for brawn.”

Shen Ge handled combat, Li Xiang handled research. Their “whereabouts” generally didn’t need to be reported to the branch.

However, Shen Ge had the strength to protect himself. Li Xiang, aside from his “brain,” was an ordinary person, so he usually filed a report when going out, and the department would arrange for anti-paranormal agents for close protection.

But Li Xiang was a standard “homebody.” When paranormal event rates were low, he worried about damage during the transfer of paranormal entity corpses and chose to accompany the teams.

Later, with Shen Ge as the “material harvester,” Tier 1 and 2 paranormal entity corpses were no longer rare, and Li Xiang hadn’t left the branch for over half a year.

Deng Yuqi glanced expressionlessly at Shen Ge, too lazy engaging with his tangential thinking, and explained, “Did you forget the Yun-er sisters? Yun-er has a freak sample implanted in her. That thing is crucial for our research on overcoming freaks. Even disregarding research, as long as that freak sample remains in Yun-er, without finding a way to handle it, she’ll become the next mindless monster.”

“Li Xiang isn’t specialized in human body research, so he contacted his former junior fellow apprentice and even invited his teacher to the branch to research the freak sample. A few months ago, Rong City implemented a plan to separate the management of paranormal entities and research institutes. To prevent the Twelve Branches from exploiting any opportunities, we also periodically exchange management between here and the Quanlong Mountain base.”

With this reminder, Shen Ge remembered Deng Yuqi had mentioned this before. To prevent another attack on the underground containment room by the Twelve Branches, the branch would periodically alternate management with the Quanlong Mountain base. Except for Deng Yuqi, the anti-paranormal team leaders, and a few others, even some department heads and section chiefs didn’t know whether the paranormal entities and senior researchers for the “current month” were at the branch or the Quanlong Mountain base.

“Li Xiang and the others have been researching the freak sample at the Quanlong Mountain base all this time? Any progress? How do you plan to handle the Yun-er sisters?” Shen Ge asked curiously.

Deng Yuqi said, “Although these two sisters are not our citizens and received ‘spy’ training, considering the intelligence Little Seven brought back, and their sacrifices… it is indeed lamentable. The desire to ‘survive’ itself isn’t inherently right or wrong. Coupled with their tragic childhood experiences and the importance of the freak sample… After multiple meetings with higher-ups, I finally decided to implement the Third Protection Scheme for them.”

The Special Investigations Department’s Third Protection Scheme was revised based on the “Important Witness Protection Law.” Essentially, it meant that if important foreign personnel defected carrying significant resources or intelligence, and the intelligence value was substantial, our country would not only accept them but also provide protection.

Of course, “protection” also implied a form of monitoring. After all, no one could say for sure it wasn’t a “bitter trick,” and such cases were not uncommon in our history.

Yun-er had regained consciousness after treatment by the research team. As the only “freak” in our country willing to cooperate with research, her value was self-evident.

Therefore, after discussions with the sisters, they agreed to the new identities Deng Yuqi arranged for them. Although they were accompanied when going out, they no longer had to worry about being tortured to the point of losing themselves or being given to chaebols as playthings. For the two sisters, this was indeed a “new life.”

Deng Yuqi handed the files on the Yun-er sisters to Shen Ge, containing their latest research data and the branch’s progress on freak sample research.

But when Shen Ge saw the sisters’ names, he nearly lost his composure: “… Shen Yun-er, Shen Xue-er, these names…”

“Oh, when I helped them apply for ID cards, I asked for their names. They said you saved them from hell… Congratulations, you’ve gained two sworn daughters.” Deng Yuqi said teasingly.

“Get out.” Shen Ge said with a deadpan expression.

It was the first time Deng Yuqi saw Shen Ge looking so discomfited. She teased, “Haha, suddenly having two adult daughters pop up, without you having to worry about raising them. Wouldn’t being their sworn father be nice? Don’t you always call yourself the sworn father of Li Xiang, Wang Han, Ma Chao, and the others?”

“It’s different with men and women. Being a sworn father to women sounds like some kind of per… Ahem, I mean, I never expected any repayment from them. I was just providing a corresponding price for the intelligence they offered. As for the final freak sample, actually… bringing this thing back isn’t necessarily a good thing, right?” Shen Ge said with a grave expression.

Deng Yuqi explained, “I was joking with you. Their original names were Shin Yun-er and Shin Seol-er. To avoid being found by the Red Flower Core, they naturally need to change their names publicly. This file is just for their convenience moving within the country. Their specific future identities, professions, and names will all be changed together.”

In essence, Yun-er gained a new life in the Celestial Dynasty because of the “freak sample,” but the freak sample inside her was also a time bomb. No one could guarantee it wouldn’t cause problems one day.

Therefore, before removing this “time bomb,” Yun-er’s range of activity was limited to the Quanlong Mountain base and Rong City. So this file was temporary.

“Couldn’t they change it more thoroughly?” Shen Ge complain.

Deng Yuqi teased, “Why do I get the feeling you’re eager to distance yourself from them? Seems a bit like protesting too much.”

“…” Shen Ge stared expressionlessly at Deng Yuqi, not wanting to respond.

Jokes aside, Deng Yuqi and Shen Ge moved from the topic of the Yun-er sisters back to the Twelve Branches and the “Heavenly Stems.”

“I compared the Haiya Research Institute list Fatty Xin gave you with the one we previously obtained. They are mostly similar. However… many of those from the first batch who came into contact with paranormal entities are missing. Also, the ‘Ye Jingwen’ you mentioned wasn’t a researcher at the Haiya Institute; she was an assistant to a female researcher, seemingly her biological sister.”

“The female researcher was named ‘Ye Jingfang’. I looked into these two sisters; they shouldn’t have any relation to your family or relatives. Speaking of these two sisters, they actually have a connection to Li Xiang. Remember I just told you that Li Xiang invited his junior fellow apprentice and teacher for Yun-er’s research? The Ye sisters and this teacher were formerly members of the Daijing No. 1 Research Institute.”

“Li Xiang discussed the Ye sisters with his teacher but didn’t get much useful information. Also, during our investigation, we found that ‘Ye Jingfang’ went missing during the Haiya Research Institute incident. From her time as a researcher until the Haiya Institute accident, there were no records of her being ‘pregnant.’ If she didn’t intentionally hide it, then Ye Jingwen’s motive for revenge against Sakura – for her sister and nephew – doesn’t match up.”

Shen Ge said solemnly, “You mean Ye Jingwen lied about this?”

“That’s a possibility. Of course, there are others. For instance, Ye Jingwen might have had another sister, also a member of the Haiya Institute – a cousin, older sister from the same clan, or even a sworn sister. After all, you have sworn daughters now, so her having a sworn sister isn’t strange, right?” Deng Yuqi said seriously.

Shen Ge said flatly, “Are we never getting past this bit?”

“I’m serious.”

“…”

Deng Yuqi laughed seeing Shen Ge’s expression, “Now you know how infuriating it was when you’d crack a lame joke every two or three sentences during serious discussions before?”

“…”

Well, Shen Ge was indeed embarrassed to admit that he had never intended to speak properly with Deng Yuqi, as it was all to confuse the public.

“Alright, enough joking. Serious matter now. Regarding Ms. Cheng’s issue… are you sure you want to go to Australia personally?” Deng Yuqi asked.

Shen Ge nodded, “Having the Twelve Branches constantly staring me is annoying. Rather than being harassed by them, it’s better to take the initiative and uproot them completely.”

“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements. The situation with Ms. Cheng’s family is somewhat complex and probably can’t be delayed too long. You’ll need to go within a week at most.” Deng Yuqi nodded, gathering the reports to dispose of them.

“Okay.” Shen Ge wasn’t too concerned about the timing for Australia. A week just meant the armor upgrade plan he had in mind clearly wouldn’t have time to be implemented.

After leaving Deng Yuqi’s office, Shen Ge went to the logistics department to find Cheng Shengnan. He told her about escorting her mother back to Australia and investigating the manipulation by “12” on her behalf.

“…Sorry for the trouble.” Cheng Shengnan said.

Shen Ge teased, “What trouble? The Twelve Branches are just a nest of flies at best. If I could have found their lair and overturned it directly, I wouldn’t have waited until today. Now that the Director has pinpointed their headquarters location, even if it might be false intelligence, I need to go check it out myself to be sure.”

“Alright, but you must be careful. I’ve talked to my mom about the family business. She’s actually been separating her assets in recent years. What’s being targeted is only a very small part. Even if it’s a total loss, it won’t be a devastating blow to her. If it’s gone, it’s gone. Your safety is the most important.” Cheng Shengnan urged.

Shen Ge reached out and tapped her head, saying exasperatedly, “You spendthrift! Why let those ‘flies’ of the Twelve Branches have the money? Wouldn’t it be better for me to take it back and squander it myself?”

“…Since you became an anti-paranormal agent, you’re either handling paranormal events or on your way to handle them. What exactly would you squander it on?”

“!”

Shen Ge was momentarily stunned. That did seem to be the case. Since joining the Special Investigations Department, he had lodging in the dormitory, meals in the cafeteria – he could even order whatever he wanted. The skills of a few master chefs in the cafeteria were no worse than hotel chefs!

For “clothing,” since being with Cheng Shengnan, Shen Ge didn’t even have to worry about socks. With her taste, he didn’t have to worry about clothes looking bad.

For travel, although Shen Ge didn’t have a driver’s license, he could dispatch not just ordinary cars but even helicopters if needed, so why bother buying a car?

()

Shen Ge thought for a long time but really couldn’t think of anywhere he needed “money.” Plus, his bank account was never short of funds.

“Dammit, I’m free from desires. Looks like besides saving the world, I can’t find anything else to do?” Shen Ge said helplessly.

“…” Fortunately, Cheng Shengnan understood Shen Ge’s character, or she’d really want to kick him over.

So full of himself, could he be any more shameless?

…

…

On the Third Ring Road, outside the Rongyu Interchange, a black sedan slowly drove towards Quanlong Mountain.

There were four people in the car including the driver: three anti-paranormal agents – He Jiayu, Liu Ming, Zhang Jiancheng – and one intelligence analyst from the operations department, Wang Yufang.

Although the three agents had been with the Rong City branch for less than three months, their anti-paranormal abilities were quite good, especially He Jiayu, who was currently undergoing assessment for deputy team leader.

They were dispatched because signs of a paranormal event were detected near Quanlong Mountain; the preset “Faint Ghost Energy Detectors” had registered a reaction.

Based on proximity, the Quanlong Mountain base should have sent someone to investigate. But after Li Xiang and the other researchers went to Quanlong Mountain, security there was strengthened, so the task was forwarded to the operations department.

The operations department contacted He Jiayu’s team, who were closest to the incident location. They picked up intelligence analyst Wang Yufang and immediately headed to the site.

When they were about two kilometers from the incident location, He Jiayu noticed the car was low on fuel. To avoid not having enough gas to return, he said to Wang Yufang in the passenger seat, “Sister Wang, could you check on your phone where the nearest gas station is? Let’s refuel first, otherwise we might not make it back.”

Wang Yufang was a seasoned analyst in the operations department and often went on field assignments with agents. Hearing He Jiayu’s words, she immediately scolded, “Pei, pei, pei! Little He, what nonsense are you talking? On field assignments, how can you say things like ‘not make it back’?”

“Haha, Sister Wang, you’re quite superstitious, aren’t you?” Liu Ming teased from the back seat.

After finding a gas station location for He Jiayu, Wang Yufang turned around and retorted, “What do you mean superstitious? Take paranormal events themselves – can you explain them clearly with science? Little Liu, you’re still young. You don’t understand ‘better to believe it exists than not.’ It’s always good to be cautious with paranormal matters.”

He Jiayu and the others had worked with Wang Yufang before and knew she even checked the calendar before going on assignments, so they didn’t dwell on it. They followed the navigation to the gas station.

“95, fill it up.” He Jiayu said to the attendant through the window.

The attendant nodded and went to the fuel tank to start refueling.

Liu Ming, who often joked with He Jiayu, couldn’t resist teasing, “As the saying goes, ’95 fill up, bankrupt the family.’ Looks like you’re doing pretty well lately, Old He. Bought a new car, and even choose to fill up directly. So rich, how about buying me a pack of cigarettes?”

He Jiayu took a hundred-yuan bill from his wallet and handed it to Liu Ming, “Go on, hurry up. Oh, get me a pack of Soft Jade too.”

“Tsk, you only smoke Soft Jade?”

“Used to it.”

Liu Ming didn’t say more, took the money, got out of the car, and walked into the gas station convenience store. Strangely, he didn’t see a cashier.

He looked back towards the car, thinking there might only be one attendant here, and called out loudly, but found no one by the car either.

Liu Ming instinctively checked the ghost energy detector on his wrist. It showed “0” ghost energy detection; not even faint ghost energy was present.

So, he went behind the counter, took two packs of cigarettes, waved them at the overhead camera, pointed at his phone, scanned, paid, showed the payment record to the camera, and left the store.

“Strange, no cashier in the convenience store. Influenced by self-service stores, are they not staffing them anymore?” Liu Ming complained as he got back in the car.

“Lots of convenience stores are like that now, you’ll get used to it.” Zhang Jiancheng, dozing in the back seat, said offhandedly.

Liu Ming scoffed, “And lots of gas stations forbid phone use too.”

He Jiayu, reviewing the mission report, didn’t pay much attention to Liu Ming’s comment, only wondering why refueling was taking so long this time.

“Strange, why is refueling taking so long this time?”

Liu Ming replied, “Don’t know where that attendant went. I didn’t see anyone when I came over just now.”

Bzzzt.

Bzzzt, bzzzt.

Suddenly, the lights at the gas station and convenience store flickered a few times, then went out as if there was a power outage.

He Jiayu and Liu Ming frowned. Even the dozing Zhang Jiancheng sat up straight upon hearing the noise. Being anti-paranormal agents, their prolonged exposure to paranormal entities had honed their alertness.

As the four looked out the car windows, a strange chill suddenly rose in their hearts, followed by the smell of a strong, putrid odor wafting from around them.

“Huh?”

The three agents instinctively checked the ghost energy detectors on their wrists. Strangely, even though the situation clearly seemed abnormal, the detectors still showed “0.”

The ghost energy detectors were developed by headquarters, but the Rong City branch, after multiple improvements by Li Xiang, could now detect faint ghost energy as low as “1.”

If there really were paranormal entities or freaks nearby, it was impossible not to detect them.

He Jiayu frowned, instinctively starting the car, planning to leave the gas station first.

Although the standard equipment for the Ghost Detectives is mostly cold weapons, after Shen Ge brought back the research report on Ghost Energy Firearms from Sakura, people like He Jiayu, who were used to Ghost Energy Guns, still felt that guns were more convenient than knives.

But using guns inside a gas station was naturally out of the question; they might send themselves sky-high before killing any paranormal entity.

Click.

Click, click, click.

Strangely, even though this was He Jiayu’s new car, it wouldn’t start. Checking the dashboard, the fuel gauge wasn’t on empty yet.

But then He Jiayu noticed the fuel gauge hadn’t moved at all. In other words, the attendant hadn’t actually pumped any fuel after inserting the nozzle.

Now the attendant was gone too. Clearly, something was wrong!

Click.

Click, click.

He Jiayu tried starting the car several times without success. As the temporary team leader, he immediately made a decision: “Get out of the car! Jiancheng, you protect Sister Wang. Liu Ming, you and I watch our surroundings. Be ready to engage any paranormal entities.”

“Received.”

“Understood!”

The four immediately got out of the car. Following He Jiayu’s instructions, they protected Wang Yufang and moved towards the gas station exit. But after just a few steps, they were blocked by an invisible barrier.

“Oh no, it’s a strange space!” He Jiayu immediately activated his strange energy equipment and entered his combat gear, warily watching the surrounding movements.

Zhang Jiancheng shielded the less combat-capable Wang Yufang behind him. Liu Ming stood to the side. This was the Special Investigations Department’s “3+1” standard combat formation: three anti-paranormal agents + one intelligence analyst.

Wang Yufang rapidly operated her handheld computer, activating several detection tools, her expression grave. “Currently, only one layer of ghost space is detected. It’s different from previous twisted spaces. The strangest thing is, there’s no ghost energy reaction.”

“Ghost energy too weak can’t form a ghost space; too strong should definitely be detectable.” He Jiayu frowned. It was understandable if one person’s instrument malfunctioned, but all of them at once was unlikely.

Moreover, Wang Yufang, as an operations department intelligence analyst, used more advanced detection equipment than He Jiayu’s, capable of detecting even intangible ghost energy, let alone faint ghost energy.

Although Wang Yufang was an analyst, she came from a military background and wasn’t completely without combat skills. However, aside from two defensive standard-issue ghost energy items, she wasn’t equipped with offensive weapons, so her combat ability naturally couldn’t compare to professional agents.

The four gathered on the slope and waited for nearly twenty minutes. There was no movement around, no sign of paranormal entities or freaks, and not a trace of ghost energy was detected.

They repeatedly tried to establish contact with the branch or the Quanlong Mountain base, but the signal here was blocked; even the dedicated communicators couldn’t send messages.

They had two options: wait it out until dawn, or until other vehicles passed by.

The other was to investigate the surroundings. A ghost space implied a paranormal entity maintaining it. Eliminating it would dispel the ghost space.

Just as He Jiayu was debating whether to continue waiting or summon the hidden anomaly, Wang Yufang suddenly exclaimed, “Oh no! The anomaly energy here is rising rapidly, into double digits, triple digits… at this rate it will soon break into four digits, and the anomaly space is also starting to distort!”

He Jiayu and the others looked down at their wrist detectors. Sure enough, the number, previously “0,” had skyrocketed to over four hundred and was still climbing rapidly.

So it wasn’t that their detectors were faulty, but that the other party’s “ghost energy” was peculiar – undetectable unless they used their abilities.

“Jiancheng, you and Sister Wang wait here. Call us if you find anything. Liu Ming, let’s check near the convenience store.” He Jiayu felt waiting wasn’t a solution. They at least needed to find some information about the paranormal entity to deal with it later.

With that, He Jiayu and Liu Ming headed towards the convenience store. The closer they got, the more obvious the putrid smell in the air became.

The characteristic putrid smell of paranormal entities further confirmed the presence of one here. Why they couldn’t detect ghost energy initially was something He Jiayu and the others had no time to ponder now.

Reaching the convenience store entrance, they suddenly noticed someone slumped over the counter. Judging by the clothing, it was the attendant who had been refueling earlier.

“No, when I came to buy cigarettes earlier, there was definitely no one here. I even went behind the counter myself to get the cigarettes.” Liu Ming said seriously. After he left the store, they had been observing the surroundings from the car, even after moving to the slope.

The attendant sat at the counter, arms resting on it. His exposed arms in his short sleeves, and his face, were deathly pale.

The attendant was expressionless, his pale complexion making him look like a corpse.

He Jiayu had seen him briefly before; while his complexion wasn’t as pale then, his expression was similar.

“Hey, are you okay?” He Jiayu and Liu Ming drew their weapons, cautiously approaching the counter, repeatedly calling out.

But the attendant showed no reaction, truly as if dead.

When they were about two meters from the counter, a series of “Crack, crack, crack” bone-snapping sounds erupted. The attendant’s head slowly tilted, twisted, broke off, and fell to the ground.

Thud, thud, thud, thud.

The head rolled to the corner, face up, towards He Jiayu and Liu Ming. Then, the previously expressionless face contorted into a ferocious smile.

BANG!

He Jiayu couldn’t hesitate any longer. He was now certain they had encountered a paranormal event, and this attendant was a freak.

The first rule in the Special Investigations Department’s combat training against paranormal entities and freaks was “strike first.” When facing them, don’t hesitate; empty the magazine first, then consider their rating. Even against the most ordinary infected, utmost vigilance was required.

He Jiayu used a gun. Liu Ming used a cleaver, intending to finish the job after He Jiayu emptied his magazine. But then, with a “Squelch!” sound of flesh bursting—

A rotten flesh tentacle sprouted from the neck stump of the attendant’s body sitting behind the counter. Its tip opened into a fleshy carnivorous flower, snapping at He Jiayu’s arm as he fired.

Liu Ming reacted quickly, sidestepping and slashing the cleaver down “Thwack!” on the extending tentacle, severing the carnivorous flower.

However, horrifically, the attendant’s head, which He Jiayu had been shooting at, grew numerous small tentacles like an octopus from its neck, carrying the head as it crawled towards them.

The severed carnivorous flower on the ground also grew small fleshy tentacles, crawling towards Liu Ming like an octopus monster.

Even the headless, neckless body still sitting behind the counter climbed onto the counter on all fours,distortion its form like a malformed creature, advancing on the two.

While He Jiayu and Liu Ming were under attack in the convenience store, Zhang Jiancheng and Wang Yufang, guarding the slope, heard rustling sounds from the surrounding grass.

Zhang Jiancheng swept his flashlight beam and saw dozens of palm-sized spider-like parasitic paranormal entities crawling out of the grass.

Zhang Jiancheng immediately drew his ghost energy pistol, taking aimed shots at the parasitic insects while trying to call out to He Jiayu and Liu Ming. But neither the gunshots nor his shouts received any response.

“Oh no, it’s a parasitic horde! Sister Wang, get in the car with me!” Zhang Jiancheng dragged Wang Yufang back to the car. After they got in, they locked the doors and windows and then tried to start the car again.

The car still wouldn’t start. Meanwhile, the parasitic spider entities swarmed over the hood, quickly covering the entire windshield.

Crack, crunch.

The glass couldn’t withstand the pressure from the spider entities and soon cracked. Seeing this, they simultaneously kicked the doors open and scrambled out of the car.

They got up and rushed towards the convenience store, only to see flashes of light and continuous gunfire from inside. Then, He Jiayu and Liu Ming burst through the plate glass window, escaping outside.

“Freak, at least Tier 2!” He Jiayu shouted towards Zhang Jiancheng and Wang Yufang as he saw them running over.

Then, Zhang Jiancheng saw large, medium, and small octopus monsters emerging from the convenience store entrance and the broken window.

The large one was the malformed, headless body of the gas station attendant, moving on all fours. The medium one had the common fleshy petal-head of the infected…

But the most chilling was the head with octopus tentacles, its pale face wearing a ferocious smile.

“There are many spider-type parasitic entities over here!” Zhang Jiancheng really didn’t want to lead Wang Yufang towards the convenience store, but the thought of the dense swarm of spider entities behind them made his scalp crawl.

He Jiayu swept his flashlight beam and indeed saw the car covered in spider entities. But strangely, they stayed on the car and didn’t approach.

“Are they afraid of the freak?” He Jiayu had no time to ponder, quickly signaling Liu Ming and Zhang Jiancheng to act together, resolve this Tier 2 freak quickly.

3 vs 3 was venly matched, and Wang Yufang analyzed the monster’s weaknesses with instruments. In addition, He Jiayu and the other two were already a team, and they had developed a good working relationship over the past three months.

with two guns and one blade, the three合力 killed the freak, pierced its heart, took out a containment bag, and sealed the corpse inside.

While Liu Ming was containing the corpse, He Jiayu instinctively shone his flashlight towards the car. Seeing the spider entities still on it, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Yufang urgently said, “This Tier 2 freak isn’t the one maintaining the ghost space! The ghost energy here is still rising rapidly, it’s already broken four digits!”

Four digits!

That meant a Tier 3-4 paranormal entity?

A chill ran down the spines of He Jiayu and the others. Just then, they heard a strange swallowing sound and instinctively looked in its direction.

For a moment, four flashlight beams swept towards the roof of the convenience store.

On the roof stood a figure.

When He Jiayu and the others saw the person’s face, they were stunned. Not only was it an “acquaintance,” but a famously well-known one.

Shen Ge, the No. 1 agent of the Rong City branch – strictly speaking, the No. 1 agent of the Celestial Dynasty’s Special Investigations Department!

Although newcomers like He Jiayu weren’t as close to Shen Ge as old-timers like Lin Yin, they were still on good terms as “colleagues” and usually interacted.

Seeing Shen Ge here left them all stunned.

He Jiayu quickly noticed something was off. Shen Ge was approachable, even friendly and kind towards newcomers.

But Shen Ge, standing on the rooftop, was dressed in a black casual outfit, his hands in his pockets, his face pale, and his eyes bloodshot.

“Investigator Shen?” He Jiayu lively called out.

Then, they saw Shen Ge on the roof pull one hand out. “Swish!” The hand transformed into a red blade of flesh.

The next moment, He Jiayu felt a blur before his eyes. Shen Ge was already in front of him. “Thud!” His head was severed.

Before Liu Ming could recover from the shock, he was next!

Three seasoned anti-paranormal agents couldn’t even mount a defense, their eyes couldn’t keep up with his movements. In the blink of an eye, all were beheaded!

Finally, it was Wang Yufang’s turn. As her head rolled to the ground, she saw Shen Ge shake his hand, the flesh blade reverting to his pale arm.